Jason McMillan, Braves senior point guard, pulls up for a three-point shot in the first half of a home game against Robbinsville on Tuesday, Feb. 2. On the night, he led Cherokee with 22 points and 5 steals. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
ONE FEATHER STAFF
A total of 10 Cherokee (17-3, 9-1) players scored as the Braves topped 100 points for the sixth time this season in a big 102-62 win at home against Robbinsville (6-8, 2-6) on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Cherokee had five players in double digits including: Jason McMillan 22, Tye Mintz 14, Holden Straughan 14, Justus Day 13 and Kennan Panther 12.
Mintz led the Braves with 6 rebounds followed by Kennan Panther 5 and Isaiah Evans 3. McMillan added 5 steals with Day and Panther adding 2 each.
“They played really well,” Willis Tullos, Braves head coach, said following the game. “They had great intensity, and they did a great job.”
With the regular season winding down and the playoffs looming, Coach Tullos commented, “We’re just trying to play better defense. Our defense has been a little shaky. We’re working on those things.”
Isaiah Evans (#23), Braves freshman forward, puts up a shot past Robbinsville’s Reece Postell (#2). Evans had 3 points and 3 rebounds in the game.
The game started quickly for the Braves who scored 5 points in the opening seconds starting with a three-point shot by Logan Teesateskie, senior forward, in the first 13 seconds. They led 5-3 after the first minute, and from there went on an 11-0 run to lead 16-3 at the 4:35 mark of the first. The next three minutes were relatively even and Cherokee led 25-13 with just under two minutes left in the period.
The Braves went on a frenzy in the last two minutes, and McMillan hit a three-pointer from just left of the top of the key with 1.5 seconds left in the period to give Cherokee a 38-19 lead after one.
The first few minutes of the second were even and Cherokee led 44-22 at the 6:14 mark. From there, the Braves kept the pressure up and extended their lead to 29 points (59-30) with just under two minutes left before the half. Day hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Cherokee a 30-point lead (66-36) at the break.
Again, the first two minutes of the third period were close with Cherokee edging the Black Knights 9-7 to lead 75-43. But, Cherokee kept the pressure up and kept plugging. Day drove inside for an easy two-point shot at the 2:56 mark to give the Braves a 40-point lead (88-48) thereby invoking the NCHSAA mercy rule.
Cherokee led 89-50 at the end of the third.
The fourth period was about even with the Braves just outscoring Robbinsville 13-12 to take the big 102-62 win.
Other Braves scorers included: Jeff Girty 2, Josiah Lossiah 2, Isaiah Evans 3, Cory Junaluska 4 and Logan Teesateskie 8.
Robbinsville scorers include: Tyler Long 18, Reece Adams 9, Chandler Jumper 11, Ellis DeHart 9, Colby Hemphill 8, Elijah Wachacha 3, Colton Millsaps 2 and Reece Postell 2.
To view or purchase photos from this game, visit: https://onefeather.smugmug.com/SPORTS/BASKETBALL/BRAVES-BASKETBALL-201516/Vs-Robbinsville-February-2/
